Emerson hosting high school journalists

Forty-two high school students from across the country will be selected to participate in the six-day program, from July 29 to August 3, 2014.

“As a member of AAJA for more than two decades, it will be an honor to welcome many of America’s brightest high school journalists to Boston,” said Paul Niwa, interim chair and associate professor of Emerson’s Journalism Department.

More than 500 students have graduated from JCamp since the program was launched in 2001, according to aaja.org. The high school students are selected in a competitive application process in which academic achievement and journalistic talent are among the strongest considerations.

Students can apply online until March 16. Applicants of all races and ethnicities are encouraged to apply.

High school participants of the Asian American Journalists Association's JCamp meet with Bob Schieffer, host of Face the Nation, in the summer of 2013. (Photo Courtesy of aaja.org)

Students from diverse backgrounds attend the program to sharpen their journalism skills and work together in a unique learning environment. The curriculum consists of hands-on training with leading professional journalists, lectures from some of the industry’s best-known personalities, and reporting field trips. Past years’ speaker panels have included Gwen Ifill of NPR and Arthur Sulzberger Jr. of the New York Times.

“Boston has witnessed the country’s changing history since the birth of our nation,” said AAJA National President Paul Cheung said in a press statement, “I’m excited for this year’s JCampers to have access to such a rich legacy and learn about the craft of journalism in the heart of the city from Emerson College.”